São Paulo: Day 5

Our last day in São Paulo was spent organizing our remaining accommodation for Rio and experiencing our first taste of Brazilian Carnaval.

After sitting in Starbucks for a couple of hours to try to get something sorted for Rio the first few days we are there, we went back towards our hostel from last night to see what the street parade was like. We saw vendors and police getting set up when we left in the morning and were told it started around 13:00. The São Paolo Carnaval app confirmed this.

Along the way, I jumped into a store to get a starter outfit for Rio. I bought a pair of denim shorts with sparkles and a pink sequinned bikini top. I plan to pick up some glitter and accessories in Rio. Allan will probably buy something while we’re walking to the first party in Rio!

By the time we got to the parade (14:00), the countdown had literally just began. We couldn't have planned it better (for the parade or worse for getting back to our hotel). We intentionally planned to arrive after 13:00 to avoid the main crowd, anticipating the parade might start a bit later, but we would still be able to hear the music, get a feel for the atmosphere, etc. even when missing the start. Even after arriving later (of course with Allan) than originally planned, we were still earlier (relatively) than hoped.

We stood at the side for a second once the music started and the large trucks of music performers and dancers started to move. The sound was defeating, the bass was thumping, the sun was pounding, everybody and everything was glittering/shimmering/sparkling, the air was filled with the smell of food, beer and sweat. It was a sensory overload!

Unbeknownst to us, the crowd on the sidewalks also started to move with the trucks and we decided to start walking at the same time, completely unaware of this. We managed to get access to the side of the street where the trucks were by saying we were going to our hostels and pointing up the street. Everybody else seemed to have wristbands on. We were quickly swept up into the sweaty, glittered bodies of Carnaval partiers and had to keep moving forward with the crowd to avoid getting squished. It seemed like we were in with the hardcore paraders who would be there from start to finish!

To try to give you a a better idea of how it works, the hardcore paraders wait in anticipation at the start of the parade. They drink, chat, dance, and generally have a good time. When the trucks move, they move with them. However, the street ahead is also lined with people. As the trucks move, many of the people on the street (road and sidewalk) join the moving parade. Therefore, the moving parade grows as the trucks move, and as the moving parade grows, the trucks move slower, which makes it easier for more people to join… and difficult to escape!

When we reached a side street, we escaped the mob, went around the block, overtook the trucks, and found a corner next to a shop to observe the craziness. The street was packed from one side to the other, including the side with the trucks, which themselves had now slowed to a snail’s pace.

We grabbed a couple of beers from a young girl helping her dad on his stall and waited for the trucks and partiers to get closer. Once they were in front of us, the bass from the speakers vibrated through our bodies, people were crammed together singing and dancing. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves.

There were also some interesting costumes and a definite lack of clothing. Think bondage and beach. It was a completely surreal experience. Bearing in mind this was only “pre” Carnaval and not in Rio, I have a feeling it’s only a small taste of what’s to come in Rio. It’s both exciting and a little bit scary!

After the trucks drove by, we went back down the street behind us, away from the partiers, and had lunch at a vegan place. Considering the size of the crowd, we didn’t have to go far for it to seem miles away. The Korean burger and chicken bowl were delicious, but I think my burger last night was better.

When Allan went to pay, he discovered that the guy working in the restaurant knows someone the year below Allan at school. The guy recognised Allan’s Scottish accent and asked where he was from. Allan responded as normal: Scotland. The guy repeated his question. Allan repeated his answer, thinking the guy hadn’t understood him. The guy said he knew he was from Scotland (because of his accent) and asked where in Scotland. Allan was surprised that somebody in São Paolo knew where Dunfermline was.

It turns out the guy did a water polo scholarship in America with a guy Allan went to school with. Not only that, but Allan’s sister dated one of his younger brothers (twin 1) and his sister-in-law is good friends with the wife of other younger brother (twin 2). Leave it to Allan to come to Brazil and find the one guy who knows somebody from Dunfermline 🤷‍♀️.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of snacks for our very long bus journey. Then it was time to collect the bags, find an open street for an Uber to the bus station, and get on our bus!

But, before that, Allan said he heard a strange noise. It was “my” iPhone (Allan’s older iPhone that we use as a back-up and will eventually use as the main phone to get round o2’s new fair use policy for roaming). Allan deleted Facebook Messenger from “his” iPhone (Allan’s newer iPhone that we currently use as our main phone) to free up space, but still has it on “my” iPhone.

It turns out the guy from the vegan restaurant had added Allan on Facebook and his new friend was trying to call him. While Allan and his new friend were getting acquainted in the restaurant, his new friend didn’t actually realize our payment hadn’t gone through! Allan agreed to go back to pay, since we had already discussed walking away from the main street to get an Uber. If it had been any other situation, we wouldn’t have been heading in that direction and Allan’s new friend would probably no longer be his friend!

The bus was much nicer than expected and very dead, so it was nice and quiet. Hopefully that means we can get some sleep on our way to Brasilia!

Allan’s deal of the day: 6 sol (£0.83) ice cold ass-beer at Carnaval. Considering this saved us queuing for the shop, was ice cold and it was at Carnaval, this seemed like a bargain!Lue lisää